A Coach’s Impact

As the high school football season begins, I have several opportunities each week as an official to see dozens of coaches working with their teams.  The good coaches will have life-long, positive impact on their players.  The players will learn teamwork, accountability, leadership, self-discipline, goal-setting and how to implement a strategy.  They will be pushed to try their best, to overcome adversity and will build confidence.

Those are all the same things one needs to be successful in the business world.  The lessons learned from participating, at some level, in a cause greater than yourself, cannot be measured.

In the PR industry, there are a number of different ways an experienced pro can give back by coaching a student or newcomer in the field.  One great avenue is through the Public Relations Society of America.  Pretty much every chapter has a mentorship program.  Both the Phoenix chapter and the  Tucson chapter have them.  PRSA national’s Mentor Connect Program is also an excellent resource.

Without great coaches, we will not develop the next generation of business and industry leaders – and that’s not good for anyone.